Multi-stage data page rendering

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to systems and techniques for multi-stage rendering of data pages for display in a data page display window. The present disclosure also relates to rendering data as part of a background instance of a data page renderer. The present disclosure also relates to displaying data requested from a workspace application in a data page window once the requested data is sufficiently rendered as part of a background instance of a data page renderer. The present disclosure also relates to providing a pool of background instances of multiple data page renderers for rendering and pre-rendering data pages for storage and eventual display in a data page window.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/573,403, entitled “MULTI-STAGE DATA PAGE RENDERING”, filed Sep. 17,2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/043,825, entitled “MULTI-STAGE DATA PAGE RENDERING”, filed Jul. 24,2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,459,609, which claims benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/652,145, entitled “MULTI-STAGE DATA PAGERENDERING,” which was filed Apr. 3, 2018. Each of these applications arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and techniques for multi-stagedata or web page rendering.

BACKGROUND

A data page renderer may display a blank page or a lagging/unresponsivepage while rendering data. Such lag/unresponsiveness may be particularlyapparent to a user when the data page renderer is embedded in, and usedin conjunction with, a workspace to which the data page renderer isnon-native.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices described herein each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure, severalnon-limiting features will now be discussed briefly.

The present disclosure relates to systems and techniques for multi-stagerendering of data pages for display in a data page display window. Thepresent disclosure also relates to rendering data as part of abackground instance of a data page renderer. The present disclosure alsorelates to displaying data requested from a workspace application in adata page window once the requested data is sufficiently rendered aspart of a background instance of a data page renderer. The presentdisclosure also relates to providing a pool of background instances of adata page renderer for rendering and pre-rendering data pages forstorage and eventual display in a data page window.

In various embodiments, a system may be configured and/or designed tosystematically generate user interface data useable for rendering thevarious data pages described. The user interface data may be used by thesystem, and/or another computer system, device, and/or software program(for example, a browser program), to render the data pages. The datapages and interactive user interfaces may be displayed on, for example,electronic displays (including, for example, touch-enabled displays).

Accordingly, in various embodiments, large amounts of data areautomatically and strategically rendered in response to user inputs, andthe rendered data is efficiently and compactly presented to a user bythe system. Thus, in some embodiments, the user interfaces describedherein are more efficient as compared to previous user interfaces inwhich data is not strategically updated and compactly and efficientlypresented to the user in response to interactive inputs.

Further, as described herein, the system may be configured and/ordesigned to generate user interface data useable for rendering thevarious interactive user interfaces and data pages described. The userinterface data may be used by the system, and/or another computersystem, device, and/or software program (for example, a browserprogram), to render the interactive user interfaces and data pages fordisplay. The data pages may be displayed on, for example, electronicdisplays (including, for example, touch-enabled displays).

Additionally, it has been noted that design of computer user interfaces“that are useable and easily learned by humans is a non-trivial problemfor software developers.” (Dillon, A. (2003) User Interface Design.MacMillan Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, Vol. 4, London: MacMillan,453-458). The various embodiments of interactive and dynamic userinterfaces of the present disclosure are the result of significantresearch, development, improvement, iteration, and testing. Thisnon-trivial development has resulted in the user interfaces and datapage rendering techniques described herein which may provide significantcognitive and ergonomic efficiencies and advantages over previoussystems. The interactive and dynamic user interfaces and data pagerenderers include improved human-computer interactions that may providereduced mental workloads, improved decision-making, reduced work stress,reduction in errors and/or the like, for a user. For example, userinteraction with the interactive user interfaces that employ data pagerendering techniques described herein may provide an optimized displayof updated content and data and may enable a user to more quicklyaccess, navigate, assess, and utilize such information requested fromthe interactive user interfaces than with previous systems.

Further, the interactive and dynamic user interfaces described hereinare enabled by innovations in efficient interactions between the userinterfaces and underlying systems and components. For example, disclosedherein are improved methods of receiving user inputs, translation anddelivery of those inputs to various system components, automatic anddynamic execution of complex processes in response to the inputdelivery, automatic interaction among various components and processesof the system, and automatic and dynamic updating of the display datapage in a data page renderer. The interactions and presentation of datavia the data page renderer described herein may accordingly providecognitive and ergonomic efficiencies and advantages over previoussystems.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide improvements tovarious technologies and technological fields. For example, as describedabove, existing data page rendering techniques are limited in variousways (e.g., rendering data on screen before the data has beensufficiently rendered based on a request from a user to render thedata), and various embodiments of the disclosure provide significantimprovements over such technology. Additionally, various embodiments ofthe present disclosure are inextricably tied to computer technology. Inparticular, various embodiments rely on detection of user inputs viagraphical user interfaces, calculation of updates to displayedelectronic data based on those user inputs, automatic processing andrendering of related electronic data, and presentation of the rendereddata page updates (such as may be rendered in memory, off-screen) todisplayed images at the appropriate time. Such features and others(e.g., data rendering in a background instance) are intimately tied to,and enabled by, computer technology, and would not exist except forcomputer technology. For example, the interactions with displayed datadescribed below in reference to various embodiments cannot reasonably beperformed by humans alone, without the computer technology upon whichthey are implemented. Further, the implementation of the variousembodiments of the present disclosure via computer technology enablesmany of the advantages described herein, including more efficientinteraction with, and presentation of, various types of electronic data.

Additional embodiments of the disclosure are described below inreference to the appended claims, which may serve as an additionalsummary of the disclosure.

In various embodiments, systems and/or computer systems are disclosedthat comprise a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith, and one or more processors configuredto execute the program instructions to cause the one or more processorsto perform operations comprising one or more aspects of the above-and/or below-described embodiments (including one or more aspects of theappended claims).

In various embodiments, computer-implemented methods are disclosed inwhich, by one or more processors executing program instructions, one ormore aspects of the above- and/or below-described embodiments (includingone or more aspects of the appended claims) are implemented and/orperformed.

In various embodiments, computer program products comprising a computerreadable storage medium are disclosed, wherein the computer readablestorage medium has program instructions embodied therewith, the programinstructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one ormore processors to perform operations comprising one or more aspects ofthe above- and/or below-described embodiments (including one or moreaspects of the appended claims).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing various aspects of a data pagerendering system, a user interface system and a network environment inwhich the data page rendering system and user interface system may beimplemented, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-D illustrate sample data page rendering systems showing variousaspects of rendering data for display in a data page window, accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart for rendering data for display in awindow, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart for rendering and pre-rendering data,according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing various aspects of a database systemand network environment in which the database system may be implemented,according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a computer system with which certain methodsdiscussed herein may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments, theexamples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wheneverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, andcomputer-readable mediums that facilitate rendering, storing anddisplaying data, content, data pages, web pages, helper applications, orother data items (also referred to herein as data) in a data pagerenderer.

Terms

In order to facilitate an understanding of the systems and methodsdiscussed herein, a number of terms are defined below. The terms definedbelow, as well as other terms used herein, should be construed toinclude the provided definitions, the ordinary and customary meaning ofthe terms, and/or any other implied meaning for the respective terms.Thus, the definitions below do not limit the meaning of these terms, butonly provide exemplary definitions.

Data Store: Any computer readable storage medium and/or device (orcollection of data storage mediums and/or devices). Examples of datastores include, but are not limited to, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM,DVD-ROM, etc.), magnetic disks (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, etc.),memory circuits (e.g., solid-state drives, random-access memory (RAM),etc.), and/or the like. Another example of a data store is a hostedstorage environment that includes a collection of physical data storagedevices that may be remotely accessible and may be rapidly provisionedas needed (commonly referred to as “cloud” storage).

Database: Any data structure (and/or combinations of multiple datastructures) for storing and/or organizing data, including, but notlimited to, relational databases (e.g., Oracle databases, MySQLdatabases, etc.), non-relational databases (e.g., NoSQL databases,etc.), in-memory databases, spreadsheets, as comma separated values(CSV) files, eXtendible markup language (XML) files, TeXT (TXT) files,flat files, spreadsheet files, and/or any other widely used orproprietary format for data storage. Databases are typically stored inone or more data stores. Accordingly, each database referred to herein(e.g., in the description herein and/or the figures of the presentapplication) is to be understood as being stored in one or more datastores.

Data Item or Item: A data container for information representingspecific things in the world that have a number of definable properties.For example, a data item can represent an entity such as a physicalobject, a parcel of land or other real property, a market instrument, apolicy or contract, or other noun. Each data item may be associated witha unique identifier that uniquely identifies the data item. The item'sattributes (e.g. metadata about the object) may be represented in one ormore properties. Attributes may include, for example, a geographiclocation associated with the item, a value associated with the item, aprobability associated with the item, an event associated with the item,and so forth.

Workspace: A software application that may generate user interfaces forinteracting with a user, access data from various data sources, processdata, communicate data, and so on. A workspace may render data byinterpreting user interface code in one or more data formats. Aworkspace can include an interactive user interface and a display windowfor displaying content from another application (e.g., from a data pagerenderer, discussed below), which may separately access various datasources, process data, communicate data, and/or render user interfacedata for display. In some examples, a workspace comprises a Javaworkspace.

Data Page Renderer: An application that renders user interface data,such as based on JavaScript. A data page renderer can also interact witha user and/or a workspace. A data page renderer may be a web browserthat is configured to render or generate data. In some instances, a datapage renderer allows a user to interact with and call data from a serveror other computing device via a computing network. For example, a usermay interact with or request data using a web browser, such as Chromium.In addition, a data page renderer may be embedded within (or called by)a non-native workspace application (e.g., a Java workspace).

Data Page: Content, such as a user interface, that can be rendered in adata page renderer. For example, a data page can include a web page orother data page (e.g., a document) containing one or more data items.

Off-Screen Rendering: Rendering a data page via a data page renderer ina background process (e.g., an instance of a data page renderer that isnot currently outputting rendered data for display) without displayingthe data page to a user on a display screen. For example, a data pagemay be rendered by a data page renderer “off screen” and stored in alocal or networked memory device, at least partially, prior to displayto a user, such as in a data page window of a workspace application.

Overview

Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments, theexamples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wheneverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Disclosed herein are various systems and methods for multi-stage datapage rendering. The systems and methods allow a user to select one ormore data pages in a workspace (e.g., a Java workspace) to which a datapage renderer is non-native without experiencing a lag/unresponsivenessin the rendering of the data page. The systems and methods also allow apool (i.e., group) of instances of background data page renderers topre-render multiple data pages according to various rules or algorithms.

For example, when a data page renderer (e.g., a web browser such asChromium) receives a request to render data (e.g., a web page or otherdata page), the data page renderer may advantageously render therequested data in a background instance of the data page renderer aspart of an off-screen process (e.g., rendered in memory) while allowing,for example, the current data page to remain rendered as the currentlyrendered and displayed data page within a workspace (e.g., a Javaworkspace). The background data page renderer may render the requesteddata page off screen in memory until the data page renderer indicatesthat the requested data page has been sufficiently rendered and is readyto be displayed to the user. Once the background data page renderer hassufficiently rendered the requested data off screen (e.g., in memory),the background data page renderer may send a control signal to theworkspace indicating that the requested data is sufficiently renderedand ready to replace the currently displayed data page. Upon receivingthe control signal, the workspace causes the background rendered datapage to be displayed in place of the currently rendered data page, suchas by activating the background instance of the data page renderer fordisplay within the workspace. As a result, a user will not be met with ablank page while they wait for the requested data page to load. Instead,the user will continue viewing the current data page with currentcontent rendered and displayed while the requested data page is renderedin memory off screen and then displayed once the data is sufficientlyrendered.

In some embodiments, a predetermined threshold for when a data page issufficiently rendered and/or otherwise ready for display in theworkspace may be set based on a percentage of data rendered (e.g., 100%rendered or some lesser percentage). For example, the threshold may beset at 80%, such that once the requested data page is at least 80%rendered, the background data page renderer provides a command signal tothe workspace to swap out the current data page display with the atleast partially rendered data page, such that the requested data page ismade available to the user even though it may not be 100% rendered atthat particular point in time. Alternatively, the threshold or metricmight be based on a timing requirement (e.g., a number of secondstranspired since a request has been received or processed).

In some embodiments, multiple data pages may be rendered in memory atone time. For example, one or more background instances of the data pagerenderer may render up to a certain number of data pages, such as thosethat have already been requested by the user or that may soon berequested by the user and store them in memory for quick access anddisplay. Those rendered data pages may then be quickly displayed once auser submits a request to access a specific data page (e.g., selecting anew tab). In some embodiments, a pool (or group) of background data pagerenderers are available to a workspace to pre-render data pagesaccording to various rules.

In some embodiments, multiple data items (e.g., helper applicationsincluded within a separate Chromium browser) may be included within asingle web page or data page where the data items also have a latency inbeing rendered. If a user requests a new data item, however, one or moreinstances of the data page renderer may render the entire web page ordata page off screen, as described above, along with a rendering of therequested data item within the data page. For example, the data page anddata item renderer (a “data page” or a “data item” each being considereda “data object”) can determine that rendering the data item separatelyfrom the data page would require an excessive amount of memory usage andinstead may render the data page with the data item using a backgroundinstance of the data page renderer and present the data page to a useronce the data page is sufficiently rendered regardless of whether thedata item is sufficiently rendered. In other words, the user may not seeall of the rendered data item as soon as the rendered data page isdisplayed. Alternatively, a data item could be rendered off screen by adata item renderer such that the current data page is not displayed oravailable to the user until both the data page and the data item issufficiently rendered.

Exemplary Multi-Stage Data Rendering System

To provide a framework for the following discussion of specific systemsand methods described herein, an example data rendering system 134 willnow be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2A-D. This description isprovided for the purpose of providing an example and is not intended tolimit the techniques to the example user interface, the example datarendering system, or the example data rendering system's interactingwith a graphical user interface (“GUI”) to represent information.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing various aspects of a data renderingsystem 134 and a network environment 100 in which the data renderingsystem 134 may be implemented, according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Example data rendering system 134 comprises a userinterface engine 120, a performance estimation engine 136, a schedulingengine 138, and an execution engine 132. Data rendering system 134 maybe connected via a network 100 to other computing devices, such as adata acquisition server 104 or a client device 112. Data renderingsystem 134 may, e.g., via execution engine 132, send and receive datato/from client device 112 and/or data acquisition server 104. Forexample, execution engine 132 may connect to client device 112 throughan application programming interface (API) and retrieve or submit datato/from a database maintained on network 100 through appropriate APIcalls. Similarly, execution engine 132 may receive data from an API orABI (application binary interface) from data acquisition server 104. Inaddition, user interface engine 120, execution engine 132, performanceestimation engine 136, or scheduling engine 138 may be separate fromdata rendering system 134 and may comprise their own entitiesindependent of one another.

User interface engine 120 may allow system 134 to interact with theuser. User interface engine 120 may generate a user interface, such as agraphical user interface (GUI). The GUI or other interface may bedisplayed on a client device, such as client device 112. User interfaceengine 120 may also receive data entered by a user into a client device,such as client device 112, and may store and/or forward it to the othervarious components of system 134. Client device 112 may, for example, bea user's desktop computer, notebook computer, smartphone, or any othertype of computing device and associated software (e.g., a browsercapable of rendering output from information provided by user interfaceengine 120).

Execution engine 132 may provide for execution of a sequence ofinstructions, such as software instructions. Execution engine 132 may beimplemented as, for example, a script interpreter (e.g., a Python or Luainterpreter), a binary loader (e.g., an ELF or PE executable loader), orother execution facilities, such as a just-in-time (JIT) compiler suchas a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) or .NET Runtime. In some embodiments,execution engine 132 may be responsible for initiating the rendering ofone or more data items by a data renderer.

Performance estimation engine 136 may provide for performance metricsand estimations regarding the system including data rendering system134. For example, performance estimation engine 136 may be able todetermine how much storage allocation (i.e., memory space) is requiredor is estimated will be used in the rendering of a given data page or amultitude of data pages.

Scheduling engine 138 may provide for scheduling functionality regardingexecution commands or timing for actions that are to be executed by datarendering system 134. For example, scheduling engine 138 may include atimer that receives input to start the timer and provides an outputsignal after a predetermined time has passed based on parametersdetermined by system algorithms or set by a user via the systeminterface. In another example, scheduling engine 138 may monitor anydata pages rendered or that are being rendered by data rendering system134. In some instances, scheduling engine 138 may monitor those datapages being rendered as part of a background instance of a data pagerenderer or pool of background instances of data page renderers.Accordingly, scheduling engine 138 may determine whether data renderedas part of a background instance of a data page renderer is sufficientlyrendered (i.e., has achieved a threshold level of percentage rendered).In addition, scheduling engine 138 may determine whether the passage ofa set time period has been exceeded with respect to the rendering of arequested data page. In some embodiments, scheduling engine 138 maymonitor data that has been pre-rendered in memory in a backgroundinstance of a data page renderer or in a pool of background instances ofmultiple data page renderers. Accordingly, if a user requests data thathas been pre-rendered in the background, scheduling engine 138 mayprovide an output signal to data rendering system 138 indicating thatthe data is currently rendered in the background and ready for display.

The embodiments of the technology disclosed herein may be performed byadditional, fewer, and/or different engines. For example, one or more ofthe engines of data rendering system 134 may be responsible forexecuting the functions of any of the other engines of data renderingsystem 134.

The network environment of FIG. 1 may be used to provide multi-stagedata rendering for a user where a user interface engine 120 may beprovided to facilitate the presentation of data and the collection ofdata for rendering and displaying data to a user in a data page window.

With reference now to FIG. 2A, a data page window 240 may be includedwith, or embedded within, a workspace 220. A data page renderer 210 isconfigured to render data 250 (i.e., content, data page, web page, etc.)for display within the data page window 240. In some embodiments, theuser interfaces generated and displayed by the workspace 220 (e.g.,230A-230N) are not configured to communicate directly with the data pagerenderer 210. For example, in some instances, workspace 220 and datapage renderer 210 may be non-native in terms of software programminglanguage and/or architecture. For example, workspace 220 may includeJava programming language whereas data page renderer 210 may includeJavaScript, HTML5 or another programming language. Thus, a workspaceapplication (e.g., workspace 220) may request data and/or data updatesthat are rendered and displayed via a different data renderer (e.g.,rendered 210) without the ability to monitor the actual renderingprogress, user interactions with the rendered content, etc.

In some embodiments, workspace 220 may be a Java workspace. In addition,workspace 215 may include a user interface. The user interface may be agraphical user interface (“GUI”) or some other interactive userinterface. For example, a user may be able to interact with the userinterface of workspace 220 by selecting interactive components, such as230A-N, within the workspace 220. Interactive component 230A-N may be anicon, soft key, link, tab or some other representation of a data item.For example, in FIG. 2A, a user may be able to select a page link 230Athat would send a request to a data page renderer 210 to render data,for example, data page 250, and present the data within window 240. Inaddition, window 240 and/or workspace 220 may be visible to a user on auser's display screen.

With reference now to FIG. 2B, an example background instance of datarenderer 210B is illustrated, in addition to data page renderer 210A andworkspace 220. In an embodiment, data page renderer 210A may render anddisplay data page 250A for display in window 240. Accordingly, data page250A is the current data page rendered and displayed to a user in datapage window 240.

In some embodiments, a user may select an interactive component 230B viaworkspace 220 in order to request new data to be displayed in window240. For example, the requested data may include a web page, updates toa currently displayed web page, or any other type or format of data pageor data item, such as a helper application. Examples of a helper includeexternal viewer programs launched to display data rendered by a datarenderer. Selecting interactive component 230B may, in some instances,send a request to a data page renderer 210A or 210B to render therequested data. In some instances, data page renderer 210A may initiaterendering of the requested data to be displayed in window 240 whilesimultaneously deactivating the currently displayed data 250A, which canresult in a blank screen as seen by the viewer.

Alternatively, the request for new data received from workspace 220 mayinitiate a background instance of a data page renderer 210B forrendering data page 250B as part of a background instance. In someembodiments, user interface engine 120 receives, detects and/orprocesses the request to render new data and transmits the receivedrequest to execution engine 132 for processing the request and renderingthe requested data for display or storage. Alternatively, executionengine 132 detects and/or processes the request to render new data. Inaddition, the request may be transmitted to performance estimationengine 136 and scheduling engine 138 for further processing. In someembodiments, performance estimation engine 136 may determine that thedata renderer for rendering the requested data page is non-native to theworkspace application. In other words, performance estimation engine 136may determine that the data page renderer runs on software non-native tothe software of the workspace which may tend to hinder communicationbetween the workspace and the data page renderer.

In some embodiments, user interface engine 120 may receive a request torender new data while data page renderer 210A displays a current datapage 250A in window 240. User interface engine 120 may transmit therequest to execution engine 132, performance estimation engine 136,and/or scheduling engine 138. In such embodiments, execution engine 132may initiate rendering of the requested data 250B utilizing backgrounddata page renderer 210B. Meanwhile, according to the disclosedtechnology, data page 250A remains currently rendered/visible in window240. Once the requested data 250B is sufficiently rendered, backgrounddata page renderer 210B may signal to data renderer 210A that therequested data is sufficiently rendered and ready to be displayed inwindow 240. For example, data page 250B may be rendered and stored in amemory device. Upon receiving the signal from data page renderer 210B,workspace application 220 data page renderer 210A may coordinate withdata page renderer 210B a switching procedure where the currentlydisplayed data page 250A can be substantially, simultaneouslytransitioned to requested data 250B (i.e., substantially in real-time).For example, data page renderer 210B may activate data page 250B in thebackground of window 240 and concurrently send a signal to deactivatedata page 250A such that when data page 250A is deactivated, data page250B is displayed in window 240.

In addition, data renderer 210B may represent a background instance ofthe data page renderer. For example, as a background instance, a datapage 250B rendered within data renderer 210B may be rendered off screen.In some embodiments, the background instance may render the requesteddata page in memory before signaling to the workspace application 220that the data is sufficiently rendered for display.

In some embodiments, a predetermined threshold for when a data page issufficiently rendered and/or otherwise ready for display in theworkspace may be set based on a percentage of data rendered (e.g., 100%rendered or some lesser percentage). Accordingly, scheduling engine 138may monitor the degree to which the requested data is rendered or theamount of time elapsed since the requested data was scheduled to berendered. For example, the threshold may be set at 80% rendered, suchthat once the requested data page 250A is at least 80% rendered,background data page renderer 210B may provide a command signal toworkspace 220 to swap out the current data page 250A being displayedwith the at least partially rendered data page 250B, such that therequested data page 250B is made available to the user even though itmay not be 100% rendered at that particular point in time.

Alternatively, the threshold or metric might be based on a timingrequirement (e.g., a number of seconds transpired since a request hasbeen received or processed). For example, a timer can start uponinitiation of the background instance of data renderer 210B. Inaddition, a predetermined time may be set by an administrator or anotheruser. For example, the time may be set for 2 seconds, 4.5 seconds, 6seconds, etc. In the example of a predetermined time being set for 2seconds, a control signal may be sent to workspace 220 from thebackground instance of data renderer 210B after 2 seconds of activity inrendering data 250B such that the data page 250A is removed after 2seconds and data page 250B is rendered, although potentially partially,in its place. For example, data page 250B may be less than 80% renderedat the set time.

In some embodiments, a processing indicator may be displayed within thewindow while the requested data is being rendered off screen in thebackground data renderer. For example, a progress bar or a spinning iconmay present themselves. In addition, a progress bar may correspond to anamount the data page is rendered in the background instance or to anestimated time before the data will be displayed in the window and takethe place of the previously rendered data.

In addition, the system 134 may determine that the amount of memoryrequired to render the second data exceeds an upper or lowerpredetermined threshold. The amount of memory may also be based onadditional pages that are likely to be pre-rendered in a backgroundinstance of one or more background instances of a data page renderer.Based on this determination, the system may forego rendering therequested data in the background instance and instead render therequested data within the window. For example, the system may determinethat a requested data page requires or is likely to require less memoryto render the data page compared to a predetermined lower threshold. Inthis scenario, the system 134 may determine that rendering the pagedirectly in the window and not as part of a background instance of adata page renderer is desirable since it will likely require less timeto render or load the page.

Alternatively, the system 134 may determine that a requested data pagerequires or is likely to require more data space to render the datacompared to a predetermined upper threshold. In some embodiments,performance estimation engine 136 can perform data analytics (e.g.,prediction modeling) based on the request received and may providevarious instructions to other components of data rendering system 134(e.g., execution engine 132) based on the data analytics. For example,performance estimation engine 136 may determine that a requested datapage will likely require more memory compared to the upper threshold andthus, might adjust for the length of time required to render the pageby, for example, displaying the requested page at a lower percentagerendered (e.g., 50% rather than 80%) in order to provide a user withless of a temporal discrepancy in waiting for the requested data topresent itself. In addition, the determination may be based on a numberof data items (e.g., helpers) or data pages that have been determinedshould be pre-rendered as described with respect to FIGS. 2D and 4. Forexample, performance estimation engine 136 may determine that multipledata pages should be rendered by multiple background instances ofmultiple data page renderers. Accordingly, system 134 may determine thatthe multitude of data requests will require memory in excess of an upperthreshold and thus, may determine that the requested data page should bedisplayed regardless of whether the other data items or pages arerendered. Alternatively, system 134 may determine that the sum of alldata items and pages requested for rendering and pre-rendering does notexceed the threshold and thus, may determine that the system should notdisplay the requested data until all data pages and data items have beensufficiently rendered.

In a non-limiting example, a helper application may be included with arendered data page in window 240A (not shown). In some instances, arequest to render a new helper application in window 240A, but not a newdata page, may trigger background renderer 210B to render a new datapage, in addition to the requested helper application, in a singlebackground instance of data renderer 210B.

FIG. 2C illustrates another sample embodiment where data page 250B maybe rendered by a background instance of data page renderer 210B. Inaddition, data page 250A currently displayed may include markers, tags,or tabs representing other data pages that may be rendered and displayedin data page window 240A. When the initial request is received to renderdata page 250A, data rendering system 134 may determine that data page250A references multiple data items or pages and may advantageouslydetermine that multiple data pages should be rendered for quick accessby a user. For example, this determination may be made by performanceestimation engine 136. Accordingly, data page renderer may initiatemultiple background instances of data page renderers to pre-renderadditional data pages referenced as part of data page 250B. For example,one or more background instances of data page renderers may render datapages 270A-270N. In some instances, data pages 270A-270N may be tabsthat are included with data page 250A.

In addition, data algorithms as part of data rendering system 134 maydetermine that only a subset of data pages 270A-270N should be renderedin background instances in order to conserve storage space, to satisfysystem requirements, or based on system settings or rules predeterminedby a network administrator. For example, the system settings may be setto render no more than five data pages under this scenario which wouldresult in only data pages 270A-270E being rendered in this example orsome random five (e.g., 270A, 270G, 270H, 270I, and 270K).Alternatively, the system may be based on memory space requirements, asdetermined by performance estimation engine 136, such that only acertain number of data pages would be rendered as part of a pool ofbackground instances that keeps within the upper limit of the memoryspace requirement. In addition, the scheduling engine 138 may monitorthe data rendered within the pool. Accordingly, user interface engine120, upon receiving a request to render data, may transmit the requestto scheduling engine 138, among the engines of data rendering system134, to determine whether the data has been pre-rendered in a backgroundinstance of a data page renderer.

In some embodiments, the same transition may be employed in thisscenario as discussed with reference to FIG. 2B such that a backgroundinstance of a rendered data page may take the place of current data page250A substantially simultaneously (i.e., in real-time or near real-time)when the data page is sufficiently rendered following a request from auser via workspace 220.

FIG. 2D illustrates an example background rendering scheme where a poolof instances 290 may comprise multiple data page renderers 210B-210N,each with a data page 250B-250N rendered in memory. In some embodiments,the same transition may be employed in this scenario as discussed withreference to FIG. 2B such that a background instance of a rendered datapage may take the place of current data page 250A substantiallysimultaneously when the data page is sufficiently rendered following arequest from a user via workspace 220 and a command signal fromscheduling engine 138 signaling that the data page is sufficientlyrendered. It is noted that the data page may have been pre-rendered in abackground instance of a data page renderer according to instructionsreceived from performance estimation engine 136. In such embodiments,the scheduling engine 138 may send the command signal immediately uponreceiving the request based on a determination that the requested datais pre-rendered.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method of rendering data for display in awindow. For purposes of illustrating a clear example, the approach ofFIG. 3 is described herein with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2D. However,the approach of FIG. 3 may be implemented using other mechanisms forperforming the functional blocks of FIG. 3, and the particular systemsof FIGS. 1 and 2A-2D are not required.

In block 302, data rendering system 134 receives a request from aworkspace to render data for display in a data window. The request maybe sent as a result of a user selecting a component of an interactiveuser interface that initiates the request for new data or content. Inaddition, the data page renderer may be non-native to the workspaceapplication.

In block 304, data rendering system 134 may render the requested datapage 250A and display data page 250A in data page window 240. In block306, a second request is received to render new data. For example, thenew data may be data page 250B. In block 308, the new data page may berendered in a background instance of data renderer 210B. At block 310, adetermination is made on whether the new data has been sufficientlyrendered for display. If the new data (e.g., data page 250B) issufficiently rendered for display as determined by any number of metricsdescribed herein, for example, then at block 314, the window may updateto display the new data in place of the previously displayed data. Insome embodiments, the background data renderer may send a control signalto a workspace when the data renderer has determined that the requesteddata is sufficiently rendered for display or approaching a thresholdindicating that the data page is ready to be displayed. For example, newdata page may take the place of the previously rendered data page 250Asubstantially simultaneously. If the new data is not sufficientlyrendered, at block 312, the background data page renderer may continuerendering the requested new data until it is sufficiently rendered.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of rendering and pre-rendering data, such asmay have been defined using the process of FIG. 4. For purposes ofillustrating a clear example, the approach of FIG. 4 is described hereinwith reference to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B. However, the approach of FIG. 4may be implemented using other mechanisms for performing the functionalblocks of FIG. 4, and the particular systems of FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B arenot required.

In block 402, data rendering system 134 receives a request from, forexample, a workspace to render data for display in a data window. Therequest may be sent as a result of a user selecting a component of aninteractive user interface that initiates the request for new data orcontent. In addition, the data page renderer may be non-native to theworkspace application.

In block 404, a background data page renderer may initiate rendering ofthe requested data page in a background instance. Substantially inparallel at block 406, a pool of background instances of data pagerenderers may pre-render multiple data pages that are associated withthe requested data.

In block 408, data rendering system 134 may render the requested datapage 250A and display data page 250A in data page window 240. In block406, a second request is received to render new data. For example, thenew data may be data page 250B.

In block 410, a second request may be received from a user to render apage that was pre-rendered at block 406. Thus, at block 412, the datapage will already be rendered and ready for display. Thus, the data pagewill be displayed. Alternatively, the workspace may wait until a controlsignal is received for the data page to be received at block 412 beforedisplaying the requested data page. Lastly, the request to render apre-rendered data page may trigger multiple new data pages to berendered in a pool of background data page rendering instances that areassociated with the requested data page.

The approach of FIGS. 3 and 4 may be implemented using other mechanismsfor creating and specifying the values and elements identified forrendering data. In addition, a particular GUI or interactive userinterface is not required.

As indicated in FIG. 5, in an implementation the database system 502 (orone or more aspects of the database system 502) may comprise, or beimplemented in, a “virtual computing environment”. As used herein, theterm “virtual computing environment” should be construed broadly toinclude, for example, computer readable program instructions executed byone or more processors (e.g., as described below in the example of FIG.6) to implement one or more aspects of the modules and/or functionalitydescribed herein. For example, a request received from the usercomputing device 504 may be understood as modifying operation of thevirtual computing environment to cause the request data aggregationmodule 524 to gather data associated with the request, the requestformat generation module 526 to generate third-party requests with theappropriate formats and information, and the API interaction module 528to transmit those requests to one or more APIs.

Additionally, user and third-party interaction module 522 may includethe user interface described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2D.Accordingly, interaction module 522 may be configured to access APIsstored in, for example, a user database 552, a third-party database 554,an interaction database 556, or any other external data source ordatabase, and interact with users in requesting data page rendering.Interaction module 522 may also be configured to access APIs stored aspart of a cloud network (not shown).

Such functionality may comprise a modification of the operation of thevirtual computing environment in response to inputs and according tovarious rules. Other functionality implemented by the virtual computingenvironment (as described throughout this disclosure) may furthercomprise modifications of the operation of the virtual computingenvironment, for example, the operation of the virtual computingenvironment may change depending on the information gathered by therequest data aggregation module 524 and/or responses received andanalyzed by the response aggregation module 532. Initial operation ofthe virtual computing environment may be understood as an establishmentof the virtual computing environment. In some implementations thevirtual computing environment may comprise one or more virtual machinesor other emulations of a computing system. In some implementations thevirtual computing environment may comprise a hosted computingenvironment that includes a collection of physical computing resourcesthat may be remotely accessible and may be rapidly provisioned as needed(commonly referred to as “cloud” computing environment).

Implementing one or more aspects of the database system 502 as a virtualcomputing environment may advantageously enable executing differentaspects or modules of the system on different computing devices orprocessors, which may increase the scalability of the system.Implementing one or more aspects of the database system 502 as a virtualcomputing environment may further advantageously enable sandboxingvarious aspects, data, or modules of the system from one another, whichmay increase security of the system by preventing, for example,malicious intrusion into the system from spreading. Implementing one ormore aspects of the database system 502 as a virtual computingenvironment may further advantageously enable parallel execution ofvarious aspects or modules of the system, which may increase thescalability of the system. Implementing one or more aspects of thedatabase system 502 as a virtual computing environment may furtheradvantageously enable rapid provisioning (or de-provisioning) ofcomputing resources to the system, which may increase scalability of thesystem by, e.g., expanding computing resources available to the systemor duplicating operation of the system on multiple computing resources.For example, the system may be used by thousands, hundreds of thousands,or even millions of users simultaneously, and many megabytes, gigabytes,or terabytes (or more) of data may be transferred or processed by thesystem, and scalability of the system may enable such operation in anefficient and/or uninterrupted manner.

In various embodiments, outgoing requests and/or incoming responses maybe communicated in any suitable formats. For example, XML, JSON, and/orany other suitable formats may be used for API requests and responses.In some implementations, the system may advantageously, as describedabove, convert data from one format to another (e.g., based ontemplates) to enable communications with multiple third-parties andAPIs. Such implementations may be particularly advantageous as thesystem is enabled to scale and communicate via ever more disparate API'sover time, and be easily adapted to changes in existing API's as needed.

Additional Implementation Details and Embodiments

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be a system, a method,and/or a computer program product at any possible technical detail levelof integration. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or mediums) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent disclosure.

For example, the functionality described herein may be performed assoftware instructions are executed by, and/or in response to softwareinstructions being executed by, one or more hardware processors and/orany other suitable computing devices. The software instructions and/orother executable code may be read from a computer readable storagemedium (or mediums).

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store data and/or instructions for use by an instructionexecution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, forexample, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device (includingany volatile and/or non-volatile electronic storage devices), a magneticstorage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storagedevice, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a solid-state drive, a random accessmemory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory(SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digitalversatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanicallyencoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groovehaving instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, isnot to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radiowaves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagneticwaves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signalstransmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions (as also referred to herein as,for example, “code,” “instructions,” “module,” “application,” “softwareapplication,” and/or the like) for carrying out operations of thepresent disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. Computer readable program instructions may be callable fromother instructions or from itself, and/or may be invoked in response todetected events or interrupts. Computer readable program instructionsconfigured for execution on computing devices may be provided on acomputer readable storage medium, and/or as a digital download (and maybe originally stored in a compressed or installable format that requiresinstallation, decompression or decryption prior to execution) that maythen be stored on a computer readable storage medium. Such computerreadable program instructions may be stored, partially or fully, on amemory device (e.g., a computer readable storage medium) of theexecuting computing device, for execution by the computing device. Thecomputer readable program instructions may execute entirely on a user'scomputer (e.g., the executing computing device), partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logiccircuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logicarrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions byutilizing state information of the computer readable programinstructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order toperform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of thedisclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart(s) and/or block diagram(s)block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on amagnetic disk or solid-state drive of a remote computer. The remotecomputer may load the instructions and/or modules into its dynamicmemory and send the instructions over a telephone, cable, or opticalline using a modem. A modem local to a server computing system mayreceive the data on the telephone/cable/optical line and use a converterdevice including the appropriate circuitry to place the data on a bus.The bus may carry the data to a memory, from which a processor mayretrieve and execute the instructions. The instructions received by thememory may optionally be stored on a storage device (e.g., a solid-statedrive) either before or after execution by the computer processor.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. In addition, certain blocks may be omitted insome implementations. The methods and processes described herein arealso not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or statesrelating thereto can be performed in other sequences that areappropriate.

It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagramsand/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts orcarry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions. For example, any of the processes, methods, algorithms,elements, blocks, applications, or other functionality (or portions offunctionality) described in the preceding sections may be embodied in,and/or fully or partially automated via, electronic hardware suchapplication-specific processors (e.g., application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs)), programmable processors (e.g., field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs)), application-specific circuitry, and/or the like(any of which may also combine custom hard-wired logic, logic circuits,ASICs, FPGAs, etc. with custom programming/execution of softwareinstructions to accomplish the techniques).

Any of the above-mentioned processors, and/or devices incorporating anyof the above-mentioned processors, may be referred to herein as, forexample, “computers,” “computer devices,” “computing devices,” “hardwarecomputing devices,” “hardware processors,” “processing units,” and/orthe like. Computing devices of the above-embodiments may generally (butnot necessarily) be controlled and/or coordinated by operating systemsoftware, such as Mac OS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows OS (e.g.,Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, WindowsServer, etc.), Windows CE, Unix, Linux, SunOS, Solaris, Blackberry OS,VxWorks, or other suitable operating systems. In other embodiments, thecomputing devices may be controlled by a proprietary operating system.Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer processesfor execution, perform memory management, provide file system,networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface functionality,such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things.

For example, FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a computersystem 600 upon which various embodiments may be implemented. Computersystem 600 includes a bus 602 or other communication mechanism forcommunicating information, and a hardware processor, or multipleprocessors, 604 coupled with bus 602 for processing information.Hardware processor(s) 604 may be, for example, one or more generalpurpose microprocessors.

Computer system 600 also includes a main memory 606, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM), cache and/or other dynamic storage devices, coupledto bus 602 for storing information and instructions to be executed byprocessor 604. Main memory 606 also may be used for storing temporaryvariables or other intermediate information during execution ofinstructions to be executed by processor 604. Such instructions, whenstored in storage media accessible to processor 604, render computersystem 600 into a special-purpose machine that is customized to performthe operations specified in the instructions. In some embodiments, thebackground instances of data renderers may be implemented withincomputer system 600 such that data is rendered in memory before beingdisplayed on display 612 once the data is sufficiently rendered.

Computer system 600 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 608 orother static storage device coupled to bus 602 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processor 604. A storage device 610,such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or USB thumb drive (Flash drive),etc., is provided and coupled to bus 602 for storing information andinstructions.

Computer system 600 may be coupled via bus 602 to a display 612, such asa cathode ray tube (CRT) or LCD display (or touch screen), fordisplaying information to a computer user. An input device 614,including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus 602 forcommunicating information and command selections to processor 604.Another type of user input device is cursor control 616, such as amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating directioninformation and command selections to processor 604 and for controllingcursor movement on display 612. This input device typically has twodegrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis(e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane. Insome embodiments, the same direction information and command selectionsas cursor control may be implemented via receiving touches on a touchscreen without a cursor.

Computing system 600 may include a user interface module to implement aGUI that may be stored in a mass storage device as computer executableprogram instructions that are executed by the computing device(s).Computer system 600 may further, as described below, implement thetechniques described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one ormore ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/or program logic which in combinationwith the computer system causes or programs computer system 600 to be aspecial-purpose machine. According to one embodiment, the techniquesherein are performed by computer system 600 in response to processor(s)604 executing one or more sequences of one or more computer readableprogram instructions contained in main memory 606. Such instructions maybe read into main memory 606 from another storage medium, such asstorage device 610. Execution of the sequences of instructions containedin main memory 606 causes processor(s) 604 to perform the process stepsdescribed herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry maybe used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

Various forms of computer readable storage media may be involved incarrying one or more sequences of one or more computer readable programinstructions to processor 804 for execution. For example, theinstructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk or solid-statedrive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 600 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitterto convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector canreceive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriatecircuitry can place the data on bus 602. Bus 602 carries the data tomain memory 606, from which processor 604 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory 606 mayoptionally be stored on storage device 610 either before or afterexecution by processor 604.

Computer system 600 also includes a communication interface 618 coupledto bus 602. Communication interface 618 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link 620 that is connected to alocal network 622. For example, communication interface 618 may be anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellitemodem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to acorresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communicationinterface 618 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a datacommunication connection to a compatible LAN (or WAN component tocommunicate with a WAN). Wireless links may also be implemented. In anysuch implementation, communication interface 618 sends and receiveselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams representing various types of information.

Network link 620 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 620 mayprovide a connection through local network 622 to a host computer 624 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 626.ISP 626 in turn provides data communication services through theworld-wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to asthe “Internet” 628. Local network 622 and Internet 628 both useelectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams. The signals through the various networks and the signals onnetwork link 620 and through communication interface 618, which carrythe digital data to and from computer system 600, are example forms oftransmission media.

Computer system 600 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 620 and communicationinterface 618. In the Internet example, a server 630 might transmit arequested code for an application program through Internet 628, ISP 626,local network 622 and communication interface 618.

The received code may be executed by processor 604 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 610, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution.

As described above, in various embodiments certain functionality may beaccessible by a user through a web-based viewer (such as a web browser),or other suitable software program. In such implementations, the userinterface may be generated by a server computing system and transmittedto a web browser of the user (e.g., running on the user's computingsystem). Alternatively, data (e.g., user interface data) necessary forgenerating the user interface may be provided by the server computingsystem to the browser, where the user interface may be generated (e.g.,the user interface data may be executed by a browser accessing a webservice and may be configured to render the user interfaces based on theuser interface data). The user may then interact with the user interfacethrough the web-browser. User interfaces of certain implementations maybe accessible through one or more dedicated software applications. Incertain embodiments, one or more of the computing devices and/or systemsof the disclosure may include mobile computing devices, and userinterfaces may be accessible through such mobile computing devices (forexample, smartphones and/or tablets).

Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being amongother acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. Theforegoing description details certain embodiments. It will beappreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appearsin text, the systems and methods can be practiced in many ways. As isalso stated above, it should be noted that the use of particularterminology when describing certain features or aspects of the systemsand methods should not be taken to imply that the terminology is beingre-defined herein to be restricted to including any specificcharacteristics of the features or aspects of the systems and methodswith which that terminology is associated.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The term “substantially” or “near” when used in conjunction with theterm “real-time” forms a phrase that will be readily understood by aperson of ordinary skill in the art. For example, it is readilyunderstood that such language will include speeds in which no or littledelay or waiting is discernible, or where such delay is sufficientlyshort so as not to be disruptive, irritating, or otherwise vexing to auser.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”or “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise,is to be understood with the context as used in general to convey thatan item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z, or a combination thereof.For example, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not inits exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a listof elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements inthe list. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended toimply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least oneof Y, and at least one of Z to each be present.

The term “a” as used herein should be given an inclusive rather thanexclusive interpretation. For example, unless specifically noted, theterm “a” should not be understood to mean “exactly one” or “one and onlyone”; instead, the term “a” means “one or more” or “at least one,”whether used in the claims or elsewhere in the specification andregardless of uses of quantifiers such as “at least one,” “one or more,”or “a plurality” elsewhere in the claims or specification.

The term “comprising” as used herein should be given an inclusive ratherthan exclusive interpretation. For example, a general-purpose computercomprising one or more processors should not be interpreted as excludingother computer components, and may possibly include such components asmemory, input/output devices, and/or network interfaces, among others.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features as applied to various embodiments, it may beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform and details of the devices or processes illustrated may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As may berecognized, certain embodiments of the inventions described herein maybe embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features andbenefits set forth herein, as some features may be used or practicedseparately from others. The scope of certain inventions disclosed hereinis indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing system comprising: a computerreadable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith;and one or more computer hardware processors configured to execute theprogram instructions to cause the computing system to: render a firstdata page with a first data page renderer; display the rendered firstdata page within a data page window; in response to a user input,initiate render of a second data page with a second data page renderer;and upon the second data page renderer rendering at least a thresholdpercentage of the second data page, update the data page window todisplay the second data page in place of the first data page while thesecond data page renderer continues to render the second data page. 2.The computing system of claim 1, wherein the program instructionsfurther cause the computing system to store the second data page in amemory device until the second data page renderer has rendered at leastthe threshold percentage of the second data page.
 3. The computingsystem of claim 1, wherein the second data page renderer comprises asecond instance of the first data page renderer.
 4. The computing systemof claim 1, wherein a plurality of instances of the first data pagerenderer are selectable for pre-rendering data pages.
 5. The computingsystem of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further cause thecomputing system to: determine an amount of memory required to renderthe second data page; and render the second data page with the seconddata page renderer based at least in part on the amount of memoryrequired to render the second data page.
 6. The computing system ofclaim 1, wherein the first data page comprises one of a web page, dataitem, or a helper application.
 7. The computing system of claim 1,wherein the first data page renderer comprises a web browser.
 8. Thecomputing system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions furthercause the computing system to display a processing indicator in the datapage window while the second data page is being rendered.
 9. Thecomputing system of claim 1, wherein displaying the second data page inplace of the first data page occurs near real-time relative to when theupdate of the data page window occurs.
 10. The computing system of claim1, wherein one or more additional data pages are rendered by one or moreother instances of the second data page renderer based at least in parton the user input.
 11. A method comprising: rendering a first data pagewith a first data page renderer; displaying the rendered first data pagewithin a data page window; in response to a user input, initiatingrender of a second data page with a second data page renderer; and uponthe second data page renderer rendering at least a threshold percentageof the second data page, updating the data page window to display thesecond data page in place of the first data page while the second datapage renderer continues to render the second data page.
 12. The methodof claim 11, further comprising: storing the second data page in amemory device until the second data page renderer has rendered at leastthe threshold percentage of the second data page.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the second data page renderer comprises a secondinstance of the first data page renderer.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein a pool of instances of a plurality of data page renderers areselectable for pre-rendering data pages.
 15. The method of claim 11,further comprising: determining an amount of memory required to renderthe second data page; and rendering the second data page with the seconddata page renderer based at least in part on the amount of memoryrequired to render the second data page.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein displaying the second data page in place of the first data pageoccurs near real-time relative to when the data page window is updating.17. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more additional data pagesare rendered by one or more other instances of the second data pagerenderer based at least in part on the user input.
 18. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having software instructions stored thereon,the software instructions executable by a hardware computer processor tocause a computing system to perform operations comprising: rendering afirst data page with a first data page renderer; displaying the renderedfirst data page within a data page window; in response to a user input,initiating render of a second data page with a second data pagerenderer; and upon the second data page renderer rendering at least athreshold percentage of the second data page, updating the data pagewindow to display the second data page in place of the first data pagewhile the second data page renderer continues to render the second datapage.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18,wherein the software instructions, when executed by the hardwarecomputer processor, further cause the computing system to performoperations comprising: storing the second data page in a memory deviceuntil the second data page renderer has rendered at least the thresholdpercentage of the second data page.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein one or more additionaldata pages are rendered by one or more other instances of the seconddata page renderer based at least in part on the user input.